Carpenters, electricians, mechanics, other skilled workers and even lay people rely on a wide variety of tools to complete their work. Various tools and bits are frequently needed by these workers including screwdrivers, slotted screws, Phillips-Head screws and connections, pozidriv bits, torx bits, allen wrenches and screws, hex key bits, Robertson bits, tri-wing bits, torq-sets, spanner bits, drill bits, sockets of various shapes and sizes and the like.
Furthermore, the above-listed tools are needed in various sizes. For example, an automobile mechanic might need to loosen a large slotted screw. To achieve enough torque to loosen a large slotted screw, a large slot screwdriver is needed. However, this screwdriver would be useless to the same mechanic who wanted to loosen the tiny screws of a car audio system.
Tools requiring bits typically utilize a “loose bit” solution. According to this solution, a hand tool or similar tool is separate from the bit holder containing bits. Workers face several problems with this configuration due to the many components and the hassle corresponding to the methods of accessing them.
According to the “loose bit” solution, the user must set down the hand tool, pick up the bit holder with one hand, use the other hand to choose and access a desired bit from the bit holder, set down the bit holder and finally couple the selected bit to the hand tool. This traditional method of changing bits requires many parts, many steps and many motions.
Alternatively, a user of a “loose bit” tool system might attempt to hold the numerous tools simultaneously, for example, the driver, the bit holder, the current bit, the replacement bit, etc, as well as holding work pieces. This practice often times results in a load that is too heavy or awkward for the user to work dexterously and in a constant potential to drop one of these components. Finally, it is particularly difficult to perform the tasks required according to the “loose bit” solution while on a ladder or in other positions requiring great precision or balance.
Next, when utilizing a “loose bit” method, a user cannot conveniently test a bit for the proper fit with a screw or other work piece. Rather, the user must guess what size is appropriate, and then access bit after bit from a “loose bit” bit holder until the correct bit is found without a convenient way to “test fit” a bit.
Also, organizing all these tools is time consuming and takes up space. Furthermore, many tools come in both American and metric sizes. For example a ¼ inch allen wrench is very close in size to a 6 mm allen wrench. However, the two cannot be used interchangeably, requiring two sets of nearly identical wrenches. Next, tools are expensive and a carpenter can spend a lot of money buying the multiple screwdrivers, allen wrenches and other tools which are needed to do even a single job. Furthermore, traditional tool boxes and shelving can store many screwdrivers, wrenches and bits, but they do not provide an easy way to locate particular bits within the box.